My Secret Valentine
by annaRAWR
Summary: It's a week until Valentine's Day, and Ron is finding it hard to deal with his feelings for Hermione. Hermione loves Ron, and can't get over the fact he is with Lavender. With February 14th fast approaching, what will happen?
1. Chapter 1:  Love Letter

**Hey :) This story is set during the 6th year There should be about 8 chapters, I plan on updating everyday up to Valentines Day :) Hope you like it! Read and review please? 3  


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"Hermione? Have you been expecting any post?"

Hermione turned to see Ginny standing at the foot of the stairs to the girl's dormitory, holding a pale yellow envelope in her hand. She frowned; she didn't usually get letters randomly, especially delivered directly to her bed.

Seeing the obvious confusion on Hermione's face, Ginny approached Hermione, who was sitting in her favourite spot on the sofa in the common room. She sat next to her and handed her the letter; the writing on it had been written in a noting quill, making it impossible to know who the letter was from by the handwriting alone.

Hermione opened the envelope to find a letter with the same writing inside. Her first thoughts were that it was more of an official letter, but on reading it she was soon proved wrong;

"Dear Hermione,

"I wish I could tell you this to your face, but it would cause problems for both of us. We're both going through complications, and I doubt this will make anything easier for you but you need to know that someone really, really cares about you, and that someone is me. I can see that you're hurting, and all I want to do is be with you, and maybe help you through it, but I can't.

"Valentine's day is this time next week... and I won't be able to spend it with you, but I want to. So instead, I just want you to know that I'll be thinking of you. As cheesy as it sounds... you'll be in my heart.

"Happy Valentine's Day xx"

Hermione read it again, before turning it around and scanning every inch of paper she could find in the hope that there would be proof of this person's identity somewhere. She looked at Ginny with obvious frustration on her face, but Ginny seemed to find the situation more funny than anything.

"So who's it from?" she asked with a teasing smile.

"What kind of person writes a letter like this without leaving a name?" Hermione shrieked, throwing the letter down. "If Fred and George were still here I'd think it was them pulling a prank."

"Even they're not that mean," Ginny quipped, taking the letter and reading it herself.

Hermione looked around the common room. The only people that were in there were Harry and Ron, playing a Weasley's Wizard Wheezes rendition of wizard chess, Sean, Dean and Neville, and a couple of fourth years behind on their homework. She turned back to the Ginny, finding herself in complete bewilderment.

"It's kinda cool though," Ginny said optimistically, handing the letter back to her.

"How?" Hermione snapped.

"You've got yourself a secret admirer! It's really quite exciting, if you think about it."

Hermione went to argue, but Ginny was right; although the fact there was no name drove her crazy, she was actually quite flattered. She read the letter again, only this time taking the words in instead of anxiously scanning the page. This person, whoever they were, cared about Hermione so much they had to tell her, and were sad they couldn't be with her. A tiny blush appeared on Hermione's cheeks accompanied by a small smile, and Ginny chuckled victoriously.

"It's still annoying," Hermione mumbled, but her agitated exterior faltered when she made eye contact with Ginny, and laughed with her. Ginny smiled smugly and Hermione hit her playfully, chuckling as she read the mysterious letter one last time before slipping it delicately back inside the envelope.

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Ron tried his best not to show his apprehension as Ginny came down the stairs of the girl's dormitory, holding the letter - his letter - in her hands. He still wondered if it was the right thing to do, but it was too late now; Ginny had given Hermione the letter.

He tried not to let on that there was anything wrong to Harry, who was staring at the chess board with intense concentration. He dared to glance now and then over at Hermione, who seemed outraged at the fact the letter wasn't signed. He chuckled to himself, but he quickly stopped when Hermione started looking round the common room, most likely searching for her admirer.

"Knight to E6," Harry said, looking pretty confident with himself. Ron switched his attention briefly to the game, gazing at the board.

"Bishop to E6," he said casually, before smoothly adding, "check mate."

Harry stared in awe at the board, before returning to his state of concentration. Ron laughed, looking back over to the sofa to see Ginny and Hermione getting up to go to their dormitory.

"Ginny?" Ron called before she could get away. "Can I talk to you quickly?"

Ginny turned back to Hermione, who nodded at something she said before walking up the stairs. Ginny began to approach Ron, but he couldn't talk about what he had to say in front of Harry.

"I'll be right back," he said, before walking over to his sister and pulling her towards the sofa.

"What was that about?" Ron asked, pretending to be ignorant of the situation. "With Hermione?"

"She's got a secret admirer," Ginny smiled. "Someone who really cares about her but can't tell her. Someone who can tell she's going through a hard time and wants nothing more than to be with her and help her."

Ron nodded, before receiving a slap over the head by Ginny.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"For thinking I'm stupid! I know it's you, Ron."

"It's not- oww!" Ron moaned, as he received another slap over the head.

"I'm your sister, you can tell me," Ginny said, acting a sweet to make up for hitting him.

"...What did she think of it?" Ron asked quietly. Ginny smiled.

"After getting over the initial frustration of having no idea who it was, she found it sweet. She even blushed a little bit, and she was smiling" she said. Ron smiled, seeming relieved.

"Do you think it was a bad idea? I know it might seem silly, seeing as I can't be with her and all, but she just seemed so down lately, I wanted to let her know someone cared, you know?"

"I can see why you did it," Ginny said, "but this is Hermione we're talking about. She'll find out eventually. To be honest, I was surprised she didn't work it out already."

"Just like her," Ron chuckled. "She's so clever, but when it comes to herself she can be a bit blind at times. It's a shame really, she doesn't realise how brilliant she is."

"It's also a shame you can't tell her this to her face," Ginny added. Ron looked away in disapproval of himself.

"I wish I could, but what with Lavender and all... she's done nothing wrong, I can't just dump her. She's... sweet. And Hermione's been acting off with me lately..."

"_Because _of Lavender," Ginny pointed out.

"Right," Ron nodded. "Well then... maybe my letter will at least put a smile on her face for a while."

"I'm sure it will," Ginny agreed. "But you know she'll probably be able to charm it and find out who wrote it, right?"

"Got that covered," Ron said. "I found as many disguising charms as I can. I _did _think this through," he assured her.

"Well I'll help you keep it a secret," Ginny smiled. "I won't tell her, don't worry. But maybe someday you should find the courage to tell her yourself? You know she'd love to hear it from you."

Ron nodded, and Ginny gave him a quick hug before getting up to go to her dorm. When she was gone, he smiled to himself; there may have been plenty that could go wrong, but all that currently mattered to him was that Ron's letter made Hermione smile, and that's all he wanted – to make her happy.


	2. Chapter 2: Secret Keeping

Hermione entered the common room carrying a large stack of books. Although this wasn't unusual for Hermione, there was certainly more of a big deal made when everyone found out what they were for.

"I've been in the library during every spare moment I've had today, looking up revealing spells," she explained. Ginny dared to chance a look at Ron, who didn't seem the slightest bit paranoid. "It's ridiculous. There's hardly anything on revealing spells. There must be more than this," Hermione sighed. "But it's worth a shot."

She dropped the pile onto the table and sprawled them out, placing the letter in front of her. Ron was grateful that Harry was intrigued by what she was doing, so it didn't seem strange that he was watching her.

"What's this about, Hermione?" Harry asked curiously.

"It's the letter I was telling you about earlier, Harry," Ginny said, as Hermione skimmed through the first book, stopping when she found that part she wanted. Her eyes briefly examined the page, before she took out her wand and pointed it at the letter.

"_Aparecium," _she said, watching in anticipation but let down when the paper did nothing. "I guess it _was _a little ambitious hoping they'd signed it in invisible ink..."

Ginny giggled, and Hermione frowned.

"Madam Pince suggested a couple of spells that I won't find suggested in books... _Deletrius,"_ Hermione said, flicking her wand at the paper. When nothing happened, she tried "_Dissendium."_

The bushy haired girl heaved a sigh, staring angrily at the piece of paper as if she could scare it into telling her who sent it.

"_Scourgify!" _she yelled, but quickly counteracted the spell as the writing started to rub away. "_Revelio!" _She tried desperately, slumping helplessly in her seat when the letter remained the same.

"Have you tried Finite Incantatem?" Seamus suggested, joining in with the few people circling Hermione. People that knew Hermione were becoming more and more interested by this person who had managed to mask their identity so well, and Seamus was no exception. Hermione's eyes widened in realisation.

"Why hadn't I thought of that before?" She said, pointing her wand at the paper. Ron suddenly realised he hadn't cancelled out the possibility of Finite Incantatem, and looked desperately at Ginny, who caught his eye just in time.

"_Finite Incan_-"

"_Expelliarmus!" _Ginny yelled, catching Hermione's wand in her hand. Hermione was blasted back in her seat and toppled over, knocking the books off with her. Ron looked at Ginny with an _are-you-insane _look, and she simply smiled uneasily.

"What was that for?" Hermione shrieked, standing back up and looking at the mess she had made.

"Um... don't you think it would be more fun if we didn't know who it was for now? I think it would. You'll agree with me eventually," Ginny said, nodding and smiling in the hope Hermione wouldn't murder her. While she was still in shock, Ginny took the opportunity to cast the spells Ron hadn't covered on the letter, so it was now impossible for Hermione or anyone else for that matter to know who sent it. The small gathering around them groaned, and Ginny felt her embarrassment heating up her cheeks. She walked away from the mad-at-Ginny scene to sit down next to Ron, who was still in awe about her basically attacking Hermione.

"Subtle," he said as she made herself comfortable. "So subtle, I don't even think Hermione noticed."

"You could thank me, you know. I just embarrassed myself to make sure you didn't embarrass _your_self."

"Thanks. But seriously, _disarming _her?"

"Ron, I had literally a second. What would you have done?"

"...Fair point."

Ginny laughed, and Ron considered announcing a game of Wizard Snap for the few people in the common room to play but was distracted when a new voice grabbed his attention.

"Hermione?" Cormac asked, standing right in front of her so she had no choice but to turn all her attention to him.

"Um, yes?" Hermione replied, obviously trying her hardest to show she had no interest in him. Ron shifted in his seat and watched them out of the corner of his eye, glaring at Cormac with such hatred it was a wonder Cormac couldn't feel Ron's eyes burning his head.

"It's Valentine's day next week," he said, as if she didn't know. "And I was wondering if you had a date for the Valentine's Ball."

Ron swallowed a lump in his throat to stop himself from growling. The Valentine's Ball wasn't something Ron was particularly passionate about, and alas, Lavender was his date by default. He waited almost in pain for Hermione's answer, which even she wasn't sure of.

"Um... I'm very... flattered, Cormac, but-"

"Has someone asked you?"

"Um, not exactly, but-"

"Then what's stopping you?"

"I... I'll think about it," Hermione said, offering him an uneasy smile before excusing herself and running up to her dormitory. Cormac seemed extremely smug, and Ron felt sick with envy.

"Ginny," he said lowly, "what are the chances of Hermione going to the ball with Cormac?"

"It depends how lonely she's feeling," Ginny replied honestly. "But she's not he's biggest fan."

"Right," Ron said, still glaring at the arrogant boy. He was fully aware he couldn't have Hermione right now – but if he was going to lose her, he would make sure it wouldn't be to Cormac.


	3. Chapter 3: Hogsmeade

Hermione made sure to thoroughly scan the Gryffindor common room before relaxing, satisfied Cormac wasn't there. Up until this year, Valentine's day was never something that really bothered Hermione; it was just another day, only it was full of minor distractions, crying girls and over-the-top couples. Her feelings for Ron made this year a little different, as she would be reminded once again that he was with Lavender and not with her, but she wasn't upset to the point she would attempt to make Ron jealous again. Failing her last attempt when she took Cormac with her to Slughorn's party, she was definitely not going to try again. She was clever enough to learn from her mistakes, and to not take someone she didn't even remotely like.

She sat down and waited patiently for everyone else. They had been given the afternoon off to go to Hogsmeade, a trip that was enforced by a huge group of students petitioning to have an earlier opportunity to visit. It was a privilege that only the sixth and seventh years got though, and although Hermione was sure she wouldn't have a date for Valentine's day, she decided no harm would come in looking nice. Ginny had convinced her it would be fun to go with just her friends, as she wouldn't be the only one without a date.

She was soon joined by Ginny, Harry, Ron and Neville, and they met Luna downstairs who accepted their offer on going with them. They joined the many other students taking advantage of the free time, and were soon making their way out of the castle.

"I find Valentine's day quite an exciting time of year," Luna said, not talking to anyone in particular. "Although it's meant to be for couples, I feel it has a way of touching everyone, don't you?"

The group remained silent for a moment, no one really sure what to say, until Neville awkwardly replied,

"Yeah."

"I'm glad you agree, Neville," Luna smiled. "Are you bringing anyone with you to the Valentine's Ball?"

"Um, no," Neville said, seeming a little embarrassed.

"You and I could go together if you'd like? As friends of course," Luna offered.

"Uh... yeah, ok," Neville smiled. "Thanks, Luna."

"You're quite welcome," Luna said. "I look forward to it!"

Hermione couldn't help but smile at the sheer cuteness of what she was listening to; Neville's awkwardness and Luna's... loony-ness seemed like such an odd match, but she could really see it working. She chuckled, and the noise caught Ginny's attention.

"Neville and Luna?" Ginny asked, questioning what Hermione was finding so amusing. Hermione nodded.

"It's so imperfectly... perfect!"

Ginny nodded in agreement, before becoming overwhelmed with excitement as they approached Hogsmeade - the town looked as if Valentine's day had thrown up on it. It was smothered in red and pink hearts, charmed Cupid's flying around and firing arrows aimlessy at people and so many roses you could smell them a mile away. Ginny blushed as a cupid fired it's arrow at her and Harry, and brief eye contact was made between them before they shied away, chuckling awkwardly. Although it was helpless, Hermione tried her best to ignore the Valentine's vibe coating the small town, and occupied herself by looking into the windows. As she passed one of the jewellery shops, she stopped dead as the most beautiful necklace caught her eye; it was a relatively simple necklace, being made of white gold and not having too much crowding it. It had a small, beautiful ballerina on it, only the girl had wings for arms. The wings had tiny diamonds encrusted at the ends, and the ballerina's tutu was coloured sapphire blue. Hermione stared at it longingly; she never really got so drawn in by something as simple as a necklace, but this was simple, yet complex, yet delicate and beautiful all at the same time. She sighed, and the group around her seemed shocked that she had stared into the shop window for so long.

"What is it, Hermione?" Ginny asked, looking in too. Still lost for words, Hermione pointed at the ballerina necklace, unable to tear herself away.

"Ooh, that's pretty," Luna cooed.

"And expensive," Ginny added. Hermione's eyes dropped to the price, and she felt her heart thump painfully in her chest. It was hard enough to even get money while at Hogwarts, having parents working in the muggle world and not having the opportunity to get a job. A lot of the money she did have generally went into essentials or books – she certainly didn't have enough for the necklace.

Feeling pathetically at a loss, she tore herself away from the window, not allowing herself to look back. With this, she wasn't aware of Ron seeing how much she had fallen in love with something as easy as a necklace, and, despite not having much money himself, slipped back unnoticed to buy it. He realised he should really save his money to buy his actual girlfriend a present, but Lavender was easily please; he could buy her a teddy and a bunch of roses and she'd think he was a God.

The rest of them reached the middle of the town, where they decided would be there split off point. As they began discussing their plans, Ron's absence was finally noticed.

"Where's Ron?" Harry asked, looking around for his friend. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Probably got lost," she grumbled.

"Hey! I'm right here!" Ron said, coming up behind Hermione to join Harry.

"Oh. Sorry."

"Right, so if you do your thing, and we'll meet back here in an hour, yeah?" Harry asked, looking at his watch. Everyone nodded and they parted ways; Hermione, Ginny and Luna going to look at dresses while Harry, Ron and Neville reluctantly went to look for suits.

The girls entered their favourite dress shop and Luna immediately skipped off towards a rail, seeming very excited. Hermione and Ginny looked together, partly because Ginny insisted on helping Hermione look good.

"How about this one?" Ginny said, pulling out a hot pink dress. Hermione's eyes widened in horror, and Ginny laughed. "That bad?"

"It's so... it's not for me," Hermione said, continuing to look through the rails. Ginny seemed very enthusiastic, taking her time with looking at them and analysing their advantages and disadvantages.

"How about this one?" Hermione asked, pulling out a modest, plain dress.

"Purple's not your colour," Ginny assured her, forcing her to put it back. "Aha!"

"What?"

Ginny pulled out an emerald green dress. Hermione turned her nose up at it.

"I've always had a thing about green. Well, ever since I started at school. It's just so... Slytherin."

Ginny raised her eyebrow. "Wearing a green dress doesn't make you Slytherin, Hermione," Ginny said, pushing the dress towards her. "Just try it. I think it will suit you."

Hermione hesitated for a moment, but decided it couldn't hurt and walked towards the changing room, followed by Ginny who was carrying a selection of dresses for herself. As they walked in, Luna opened the door, sporting a particularly outstanding dress; it was glittery and light blue, made of silk, and although it was very flattering to her waist the skirt of the dress went out so far it almost looked like a tutu. Luna seemed very happy with it though, spinning for Hermione and Ginny.

"It's very you, Luna," Ginny said, smiling. Luna grinned at her compliment and thanked her before returning to her changing room.

Hermione drew the curtain to her own changing room and stared for a moment at the dress. The neck was curved and not too low but low enough. It was quite a simple dress, coming in at the waist, and had no real pattern to it, but it had a simplistic prettiness. Swallowing her Gryffindor pride, Hermione changed out of her clothes and into the dress, feeling almost guilty that she actually liked it. She stepped out of the room on Ginny's command to show her.

"See? What did I tell you! You look great," Ginny grinned. Hermione blushed.

"So do you," she said. Ginny smiled, twirling in her own red dress which was decorated with lace.

"Honestly though, I think your secret admirer will be very happy when he sees you wearing that."

Hermione eyed Ginny suspiciously, and although she felt ever so slightly intimidated, Ginny didn't drop her guard.

"Do you know something?" Hermione asked.

"I just think it's nice," Ginny said, although her smile seemed to tell Hermione there was more to it but before she could press on the matter any further, Ginny returned to her changing room.

Hermione sighed in frustration; she was determined to find out who this mystery person was now, and despite the almost impossibility, she couldn't help but think in the back of her mind that it was someone closer to her than she was trying to make out.


End file.
